SMS & Phone Numbers

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Get Your Phone Number

SMS (text messaging) is one of the fastest ways for customers to reach you. Get a business phone number and let Clara handle text messages automatically.

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What You Can Do with SMS

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Get a Phone Number

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SMS Conversations

All text messages appear in your inbox: https://agentclara.app/chats Each conversation shows:

• Customer’s phone number
• Last message (what they texted)
• Unread count (how many you haven’t seen)
• Timestamp (when they texted)

Click any conversation to see the full thread.

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How Clara Handles SMS

Clara can respond to texts with:

• Business hours - “We’re open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm”
• Service info - “Haircuts are $45, includes wash and style”
• Appointment booking - “We have 3pm or 5pm available. Which works?”
• Confirmations - “Your appointment is confirmed for Saturday at 3pm”
• Reminders - “Reminder: you have an appointment tomorrow at 2pm”

Example SMS conversation: Customer: “Hi, can I book an appointment?” Clara: “Sure! We have availability Friday at 2pm or Saturday at 11am. Which works?” Customer: “Saturday 11am” Clara: “Perfect! What’s your name?” Customer: “John” Clara: “Great John! Saturday 11am is confirmed. We’ll text you a reminder Friday. See you then!” ✅ Appointment booked. Calendar updated. Reminder scheduled automatically.

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Send Texts to Customers

You can send SMS messages to customers directly. Click a conversation and type your message. Common uses:

• Appointment confirmations
• Reminders the day before
• Follow-ups after service
• Announcements
• Time-sensitive offers

Clara can also auto-send these (we’ll cover that in automations).

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Bulk SMS / Broadcasting

You can send one message to multiple customers: Go to https://agentclara.app/launch (if available) and select Broadcast. Examples:

• “We’re closed on Monday for Labor Day”
• “New service available! Book now: [link]”
• “50% off this weekend only”

Only works if customers opted in (legal requirement).

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SMS Pricing

Most SMS costs come from sending, not receiving.

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SMS Guidelines

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Message Length

• 1 SMS = 160 characters (includes spaces)
• Longer = costs more (171 chars = 2 SMS, counted as 2 messages)

Clara’s tip: Keep messages short. Texts should be quick replies, not essays.

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Timing

• Send during business hours (9am-5pm in customer’s timezone)
• Don’t text after midnight
• Avoid weekends unless time-sensitive (appointment reminders OK)

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Compliance

Clara handles most of this automatically, but you’re responsible for opt-in.

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Sending Links via SMS

You can include links in SMS: Clara: “Your payment link: https://agentclara.app/pay/abc123” Or shorter: Clara: “Book now: [link]” URLs count toward character limit, so keep them short. Consider URL shorteners.

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Multiple Phone Numbers

You can have multiple SMS numbers: Why?

• Different departments (Sales, Support, Reservations)
• Different locations (multiple salons)
• Different purposes (customer service vs. marketing)
• Different countries

Go to https://agentclara.app/integrations/phone-numbers to add more. Each number costs ~$2-5/month.

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Receiving MMS (Photos/Videos)

Customers can text you photos or videos. Clara can:

• See the image (in the conversation)
• Reference it (in her responses)
• Save it (for records)

Example: Customer: [Sends photo of broken product] Clara: “I can see the damage. Let me send you a replacement. No charge. Can I get your address?” All in SMS. No need to switch apps.

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Troubleshooting

I got a number but customers' texts aren't coming through

1. Check the number is active (Phone Numbers page should show “Active”)
2. Make sure Clara’s system prompt is complete (she needs knowledge to respond)
3. Text the number yourself to test
4. Refresh the inbox page

If still broken, contact support@agentclara.ai

Clara's replies are too slow

SMS responses are usually instant (under 5 seconds). If they’re slow:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Clara might be processing (complex questions take longer)
3. The carrier might be delaying (rare but happens)

Retry with a simpler question.

My SMS costs are too high

Check:

1. Are you sending very long messages? (Each 160 chars = 1 SMS)
2. Are you broadcasting to too many people?
3. Is Clara responding to spam/bot messages?

Ways to reduce:

• Keep messages under 160 characters
• Only broadcast to real customers
• Set Clara to not respond to certain keywords

Can I use my existing business number?

Maybe. If it’s a real phone number (not a landline), you can:

1. Port it to AgentClara (rare, requires carrier coordination)
2. Or get a new SMS number from us and keep your current number for calls

Most people choose option 2 (easier).

Do customers have to opt-in?

Yes, legally in most countries:

• Marketing texts - Need explicit opt-in
• Transactional texts (confirmations, reminders) - Generally don’t
• Opt-out - Must honor STOP requests immediately

When a customer texts you first, that counts as opting in.

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Best Practices

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What’s Next?

• Connect other channels - Instagram, WhatsApp, Email
• Set up appointment reminders - Auto-text customers before appointments
• View SMS analytics - See response rates and trends

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Questions? Email support@agentclara.ai